Last Chances
by tempestchaos18
Summary: A warm, sunny day will change Raven's life forever when she rescues a five year old boy. As she delves further into a past that has left him hurt and alone, what will she do to protect the child that has wriggled under her emotional barriers?
1. Thirty minutes

**What will Raven do when she finds a lonely little boy wandering the streets of Jump city, with a talent as strong as her own for magic, and an emotional need that is as great as her own? **

**This is a song-fic based off of t.A.T.u's song _30 minutes_**

_**Ch.1 Thirty minutes**_

They had thought they'd finally been forgotten. Maybe they would be left alone to live out their lives. Momma had finally found a nifty house and a job she didn't mind. She had put him in a school where there were a few nice kids, and some pretty swell teachers. They had thought they were finally safe. He went to a really neat daycare center on Saturday and Sunday mornings, where the lady with the pink hair thought he was "a cool little kid." He and momma had been happy. She had started smiling again.

_Out of sight_

_Out of mind_

_Out of time_

_To decide_

But they had been wrong. "Those people" had found them, had caught up to them again. He hadn't been able to figure out why his momma had been crying that night until she had told him that "those people" were back. They would never leave them alone, they would always be there, and how was she supposed to protect him? Those people just wanted to take her back to the people she had worked for, and make her do more bad things that would hurt people. Maybe even kill people. But she didn't want to make lightning anymore. He had loved watching her make those beautiful sparks fly from her fingers until he had realized that it made her sad. And she was afraid that he could do things too. Afraid that he would have the magic just like his daddy, and those people would try and separate him and his momma. It was the first time he'd seen his momma cry since he'd given her that picture of daddy for Christmas.

_Do we run?_

_Should I hide?_

_For the rest_

_Of my life_

_Can we fly?_

_Do I stay?_

_We could lose_

_We could fail_

Could they run? No; not this time, they couldn't. Those people were too close. Surely they would be caught and killed if they tried to run. And momma had said that they couldn't hide. Those people were too smart. As powerful as momma had become, they would catch her, and then they'd both get hurt.

_In the moment _

_It takes_

_To make plans_

_Or mistakes_

But couldn't they at least try, he had asked? What else could they do? She had sat him down, looking at him with tired eyes that were such a pretty blue. They couldn't run. Those people were much too close this time. If they both stayed, then those people would most likely catch them both and hurt them. So what could they do? She had been crying too hard to answer, as she held him tight.

_30 minutes, a blink of an eye_

_30 minutes to alter our lives_

_30 minutes to make up my mind_

_30 minutes to finally decide_

_30 minutes to whisper your name_

_30 minutes to shoulder the blame_

_30 minutes of bliss, thirty lies_

_30 minutes to finally decide_

The next day had started out as normal, but he had seen in her eyes that this time was different. That this time, something was going to change that would make the whole world be wrong forever. She had dressed him in his camouflaged long sleeve shirt and blue jean overalls. She had carried him down the street to the daycare center, where the lady at the front desk had commented on what a handsome three year old he was. His momma had then started doing things different. This time, she had walked him out to the playground herself.

_Carousels_

_In the sky_

_That we shape_

_With our eyes_

He could still remember hearing the laughter in the background as one of the fathers spun the merry-go-round, making kids feel gravity pull them backwards as they hung on for dear life. The swings creaked in that rusty way that let you know someone was trying for the sky, and it had been just a little bit cold. The whole world had seemed blurry except for his momma. She had fooled herself, she had said. She had wanted so much to believe that it was over, that she had lied to both herself and him.

_Under shade_

_Silhouettes_

_Casting shame_

_Crying rain_

He had been as still as possible while she stroked his pearly grey hair that would never stay down, no matter how much she brushed it. She had told the grown-ups that it was premature graying, but he knew that wasn't the case. It was the magic in him that made his hair a funny color, just like it was the magic in his momma that made her eyes and fingers spark when she was mad. He had looked at her with sad eyes as she began to cry again. He had frowned at her when she looked at him with eyes that pleaded for him to understand what she was about to do. Could he ever forgive her? Could he see that it was the only thing she could do to save him?

_Can we fly?_

_Do I stay?_

_We could lose_

_We could fail_

_Either way_

_Option change_

_Chances fail_

_Trains derail_

Without words, he had reached up to her, for what he knew would be his last hug. He had heard that heartbreak in his momma's voice as she sobbed into his hair, and the desperation in her voice when she had looked into his large, dark violet eyes, and told him how much she loved him. He could see the fury and sorrow in her eyes, at the world that tore her from his side. He remembered how straggled her pale blonde hair had looked as she removed her pendent from around her neck, and tucked it into his pocket.

_30 minutes, a blink of an eye_

_30 minutes to alter our lives_

_30 minutes to make up my mind_

_30 minutes to finally decide_

_30 minutes to whisper your name_

_30 minutes to shoulder the blame_

_30 minutes of bliss, thirty lies_

_30 minutes to finally decide_

"Those people" had come back into their lives, and his mother, in thirty minutes, had known what she would have to do. They couldn't run, because there was nowhere to run to that those people couldn't follow. They couldn't hide anywhere that those people couldn't find them, and if those people found them, they would both surely die. The next day his mother had taken him to daycare like any other Saturday, knowing that "those people" were probably watching. She had pretended to go to work, but had slipped out the back with every intention of going to the police. She had died not fifteen minutes after she had left her baby boy alone with instructions to run and hide as soon as she had gone, knowing that it was the only way she could save him. She had been their main focus, and she knew that they wouldn't have cared anything about him if he hadn't been her child. She knew their secrets. The little boy was just an obstacle that stood in their way of getting her and either bringing her back, or silencing her forever. She had known the instant she had figured out they were so close, that the only way she could save her baby, was to die.

Two years after his mother had disappeared, that gray haired, violet eyed little boy sat under the overhang of a building in Jump city, trying desperately to keep out of the rain, and wondering what his life might have been like if "those people" had never come.

_To decide, to decide._


	2. An act of courage

Ch.2 For the first time 

Raven drifted down the sidewalk near the park, watching families at rest, and children at play. The Titans were out, taking the time to enjoy a beautiful summer's day, the likes of which made even Raven smile more often than was usual for her. There was jubilance to days like these, when children smiled in their innocence at a world that had yet to show them its harshness. Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire were tossing a bright yellow Frisbee back and forth, and a small crowd of children had gathered to cheer on Beast Boy, who switched between one animal to another, performing feats of dexterity that were a wonder to see. Cyborg was talking animatedly with a group of young woman who were, from the look of exultation on Cyborg's face, heaping praises on his "baby". A few young people had attempted to engage Raven in conversation, and she had indulged them for a short time, but there was a peace to this day that she simply wanted to bask in, unhampered by unworthy questions, such as "Could you levitate me off the ground and zoom me around a bit?"

The commotion caught Raven's attention before it reached the others. She wandered closer, and heard a child's anguished cry. In an instant she was there, not but ten steps away from what was obviously a very bad attempt at a mugging.

"How idiotic can you be to try and mug someone with the Teen Titans maybe thirty feet away?" At least, that's what it appeared to be. But Raven had, for once, not broadened her eyes to catch the scene in its entirety.

The woman clutched a child to her chest, and she was screaming hysterically, as a very red-eyed man struggled to pull the woman's arms apart. The child was wailing fearfully into his mother's shoulder, crying for anyone to save his mommy.

"Stop it!!" the woman screamed. "Please! You're frightening him! Leave us alone!" She struggled to pull herself from the man's grip, and at the same time, to keep her child from falling.

"Scaring him???? He's mine too. But you don't think that, do you? You didn't want me to have anything to do with him, but he's my child too, and I **refuse** to be **pushed away!!!!" ** With this the man lunged at the woman, pulling a pistol from his jacket at the same moment. Unfortunately for him, his gun hand never made it to the woman's face.

The man shrieked in pain as the metal of the gun suddenly froze over, sticking his finger to an immobile trigger. Some people looked on the scene, horrified, but unable to turn away. At the sight of the gun, most of them had broken and run, diving behind trees, shielding their families from the brutality unfolding. He continued to howl as the frost crept up his hand to his wrist, turning his skin blue, and, from what could be seen, causing a burning sensation. In all essentiality, he looked like he'd been attacked by instant frostbite. But he quieted down in time, sending a snarl of hatred the woman's way that caused her to step back in fear.

"Leave them alone." A child's voice pushed through the screams of fright as the rest of the team made it to Raven's side. It was a very young voice, held steady despite the slim figure that forced its way to the front of the crowd. The boy couldn't have been more than five or six, with a very slight frame, even for a child of his apparent age. A shock of chromatic gray hair stuck out in all directions, creating a wild, untamable effect that would have been charming, had it been worm by a healthier looking child. Dingy clothing made up of mostly grays and browns, hung from his body, most of it too big for such a small frame to support. "They don't belong to you, and you've hurt them enough. They don't want you anymore."

The man had drool running from both sides of his mouth, and as Raven allowed her empathic abilities to wash over him, she realized that what little was left of his mind was consumed by an almost animalistic hatred of the object he perceived to have ruined his life. And anything that got in the way of himself and the object of his hatred became a much more hateful obstacle. With an outraged cry, he threw himself at the boy. The boy's eyes widened, but he did not turn and run, as most children his age would have. Instead, he held up his hands, keeping them together, and fanning his fingers out. From his outspread fingers came bolts of blue lightening that shot at the man's face and chest, stunning him, but not stopping him.

The Titans were shocked into action by the unexpectedness of the attack. The crowd backed away with a sick groan, sure of the slaughter that would ensue once the man reached the boy. Beast Boy rushed to the young woman's side, ushering her to safety and urging someone to call the police. The rest of the team dove for the man who had apparently lost the only thing that even resembled his humanity. Robin, ensuring that the man would not reach the boy, shot a grappling hook at the man's ankle. However, Robin did not count on the length of the man's arms, and as the man pitched forward, he hooked a claw into the boy's shirt. Robin, diving forward, pulled the man's arms behind his back, securing them into a position in his lower middle back. The man somehow seemed to be ignoring the pressure Robin was exerting on his wrists, fueled by a need for revenge. The need to take away the factor of the equation that had brought him to his knees.

"Now, Jacob!! First the boy. Then HER!!!" The wild man's hysterical laughter ricoched in the warm morning air, and bounced off of the fears of every person in the area. To the left of the crowd, apparently unattended, a twelve-year-old boy stood alone. With trembling fingers, he pulled a gun from his pocket, the maniacal laughter of his father still alive in his mind.

_Kill her. Just like I taught you. She did this to us. If she had really wanted you, really loved you, she would have taken you from me, just like she did your little brother. But she didn't love you did she? Just him. She only wanted him. She's your mother, and she should love you too._

With a resolution born of the very well trained, the boy raised the gun to eye level, pointing it directly at the boy who had ruined his father's chance to bring their family back together. Without batting an eye, he ignored the hulking blue and silver Cyborg that was rushing towards him with a speed surprising of one so large. He aimed, and pulled the trigger, setting off a domino effect of screams and panic. An alien princess high above screamed in terror as her leader ducked barely in time to avoid having a bullet lodge in his skull. Beast Boy transformed into a hulking dinosaur, shielding the mother and her child from harm. A bullet ripped through the air and tore into a person's skin, spilling blood onto the shimmering concrete. A childlike voice cried out in pain and fear. Another shot was fired before the young marksman was wrenched off his feet and removed of his weapon. The five year old waited for the second bullet to finish what the first had started. It never came.

Floating in front of him was a young woman, holding up her hands as one might do to ward of the blows of an enemy. But this young woman had a shield not common to most. Black energy flowed from her fingertips, creating a dome of black obsidian that the bullet could not penetrate. After sweeping the crowd with a quick glance, reassuring herself that there were no more hidden gunmen, she turned to kneel beside the little boy. Though her face remained as blank as was normal for her, her eyes flickered as she saw the bullet wound that was leaking blood through the ragged sleeve of his shirt. Carefully she reached an arm out to him, and nearly had a heart attack when the child's unwounded arm latched onto hers with surprising tenacity.

"The lady?" Raven looked down into the child's face. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain, and he would obviously pass out quite soon. Still, he clung to conciousness for an answer to his question.

"Fine." Raven's voice was hushed, even as it kept it's steadiness. The little boy hissed as he shifted his weight, which in turn shifted his injured arm.

"The ladies kid?"

"Frightened."

"Safe?"

"Yes." The boy nodded once before his face smoothed out into the oblivion of unconciousness.


	3. First day back

Ch.3 First day back 

At 3 o'clock in the morning, Raven still sat at the boy's bedside, calm and stoic as ever. They had been able to treat him, and remove the bullet from his arm, causing minimal damage, which was surprising, considering that the bullet had lodged so near to his bone. Still, he would recover all right. That done, they had all figured on a good night's sleep. Most of them had been taken aback when Raven decided to stay with the child, making sure that nothing wrong happened through the night.

So she found herself sitting in the dark, watching the shadows dance as the clouds shifted the moonlight that was coming through the windows, listening to the wind whisper against the walls of the tower, and staring at this strange boy.

How could anyone, especially one so young, be so selfless? I have never known a child so young to be so brave. It just doesn't fit. And that magic he was using. It wasn't highly advanced, but it was much too advanced for someone his age to be using without putting himself and everyone around him in danger.

_Perhaps he is an extraordinary child._

_As Beast Boy would say, "Yeah right. And I'm the cow that jumped over the moon."_

_Why so hypocritical? Is it simply because he is younger than you?_

_Not hypocritical. Just not understanding. It doesn't make sense._

_Is bravery reserved for certain ages? Does being a child take away the right to understand situations that most adults would tell you that you couldn't? Most adults wouldn't think that someone your age should be fighting crime, but here you are. Perhaps he is one of those few who cannot be deceived by smiles and lies. Maybe, just maybe, he knows what it is to stand up for himself, simply because there is a need. What do you know of his life? By that age, you yourself had an uncommonly advanced grasp on what was going on around you. You had learned to disregard the whispers that went on around you behind your back. You knew that the tears your mother cried were not directed towards you, but were meant for you. You understood the importance of paying attention for the sake of your own, and everyone else's safety, though back then, you were much more susceptible to the distractions that come with being a child, such as laughter and tears._

Once again her midnight blue eyes turned to study the young boy's face. It was a young, rounded face with only the barest of tans, though it had lines of stress and worry uncommon to a child of his age. She leaned forward, as much to make sure that he was still breathing as to get a closer look at his face. There was a certain beauty to his face, the kind that comes from too much knowledge and yet no loss of hope. From too much pain, and yet the willingness to keep trying, even though you know that you're on the losing end. More than anything though, it was a very ragged face, filled with a loneliness apparent even in sleep. Somehow she kept her reserve through the night, making sure that the gray haired child stayed as warm and comfortable as possible. And still she wondered. She had never met another person on this planet who could perform true magic. How was it that he could?

The morning found its way over the horizon, sending jets of crimson-golden light streaming across the ceilings of many of the rooms in Titans Tower. The med room was such a one that was bathed in the painter's palette of color, and even though Raven was not the sentimental type, she felt the sun's warmth spill over her tired body, and the faintest smile traced it's way across her calm face.

"That's beautiful." Her eyes opened wide as she turned to face the once sleeping occupant on one of the medical beds. Two tired eyes the vibrant color of amethysts looked back at her from under thick black lashes and a shock of dark platinum hair. But the thing that caught her attention the most was that they _were_ tired. Most children at that age, she had found, had very bright eyes, as though there was a light shining from within that the world hadn't touched yet. There was no light shining from this child's eyes. Merely a resignation to a life that no longer held the importance it should have.

"What is?" She moved to his bedside, looking down at him. After a while, he sighed, shaking his head as though to dismiss a thought.

"Just something. Where am I? In the hospital?" He looked around, trying to catch sight of the nurses and doctors that frequented such a place.

"No. You are in Titans Tower." The boy's eyes shot back to hers.

"Why?" This time Raven didn't answer. Slowly she walked to the other side of the bed, where his injured arm was. Being careful not to damage it again, she lightly pressed one finger against it.

"OUCH!" The little boy snatched his arm away, cradling it against his chest. "Oh." He looked at her, and found her solemn eyes staring back at him. Wisdom unobtainable, galaxies seemed to spin in her glance. Magic the likes of which he had never seen. But so much sorrow and hurt. Why? The thought was broken as a door swished to reveal the rest of the Titans.

"So, the little guy's finally awake, huh?" Cyborg stepped through the doorway, grinning down at the kid that he towered over. He winked one cybernetic eye and smiled when the kid gave a weak grin in return. Both nearly fell over when something purple and red went streaking past. The boy was snatched up in a cheerful embrace and would have been crushed had not black bands of energy wrapped around the bubbly woman's arms.

"Starfire, stop and think. He just got shot in the arm, and I don't think he'd appreciate you breaking it." Raven deadpanned with a sweat drop running down her face.

"Oh, of course!" Starfire slowly loosened her grip, and replaced him on the bed. "I am merely happy that you have not come to serious harm from the courageousness of your actions. I was most worried by your absence of wakefulness." She beamed at him in such a way that he could do no more than return her smile, albeit, reluctantly. It had been a long time since he had smiled about anything.

"I'm alright."

"Glad to hear it. We were a bit worried." The last two members of the titans came in, and the little boy genuinely smiled this time. He knew Robin very well as a childhood hero, but Beast Boy had come striding in as a Gazelle, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Sweet. I like you already." Beast Boy grinned as his elfin form came back into view, a toothy grin that instinctively made the boy think of mischievous imps. The green boy strode over to the bedside, sat down, and promptly turned into a large, green dog the curled up around the boy with a pleading look that had "pet me" written all over it. Giggling, the boy began to scratch behind his ears, and laughed louder when the dog whined in pleasure. Raven rolled her eyes, but the faintest smile tugged at her lips as she watched the boy giggle in delight. But there was something guarded, even about his laughter. Something painful that spoke of laughter and happiness from a simpler time.

"So kid, think you're up to having something in your stomach?" Cyborg shuffled over to the bedside. "What's your name, anyhow?" The boy looked up at him, eyes as large as saucers.

"My name is Lance. And…" he grinned somewhat, "I'm starving."

"Hah, hah. That's what I like to hear. So what'll it be to eat, then. We can have eggs and bacon, or maybe steak, or…"

"YEUCK!" Beast Boy was back in to normal and had the most disgusted look on his face.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe, uhhhhm, pancakes?" Robin laughed.

"Then pancakes it is. Let's go people." Without further ado, Cyborg hoisted Lance onto his shoulders, creating a perfect team, big and little, and strode out of the room, ducking low enough to keep Lance from hitting his head. Lance could only look around in amazement. Technology was not something that he was particularly well informed with, mainly because he didn't often get the chance to use it. Still, there were too many gadgets for a child to ignore. Everywhere things sparkled or glinted, catching his eyes and making him itch for the chance to touch them. But his magic responded most to the energy crackling around him, not leastwise from the cybernetic hero that was holding his ankles. He leaned forward, wrapping his small arms around the top of Cyborg's head, looking around with awe. They all trooped into the kitchen, Starfire humming happily as she set out the ingredients for Robin to begin preparations.

"Such lovely hair." Starfire murmured. Quietly she drifted up behind the little boy, plucking at a few strands of his pearly, wild gray hair. He didn't see how she could like it. It stuck out in all directions and couldn't be tamed, as often as he had tried. Though it shimmered like mother of pearl in almost any light, it hung in his eyes, causing him to have to constantly brush it back. He was about to tell the lively princess so when he suddenly felt himself being lifted up and over Cyborg's polished head.

"Whoa!" He didn't have time to properly react before he was plopped into a chair.

"So kid, those were some pretty slick moves you were pulling on that jerk yesterday. What the heck was that?" Beast Boy sat across the table from him, cross-legged, and Raven couldn't help but smirk along with Lance.

Golly, he acts even more like a kid than I do, and I'll bet he's ten years older than me.

"Well mister, that was magic." Raven's eyebrows quirked up, as did Robin's.

"Whoa kid. Mister? Nobody calls me mister. I'm Beast Boy."

"Alright Beast Boy. That was magic, sorta." Robin intercepted the conversation.

" Magic, sorta? How do you "sorta" do magic?" He leaned against the table, looking the kid in the eye, rather than down at him.

"Well. My dad could do magic. Kinda like Miss Raven here." The boy jerked his pearly gray head in the blue-cloaked enchantresses direction. "And I got that from him. But my momma could control and manipulate electricity, and I guess I got that from her, cause I can do that to."

"And where is your mother." A few tense moments went by before the boy finally answered.

"Gone."

" Gone whe…" Robin had no chance to finish the sentence as Cyborg slammed a mile high platter of pancakes down, and Lance was extremely grateful that he had not been forced to answer the question.

**Hey guys. It's great to be back on line and able to update my stories. I'd probably be update faster if you guys could review just a little bit more. You have no idea what it means to a writer to get feedback on a particular story. We don't all write these stories just for the heck of it. Some of us write because it is a joy to do so, and while it's nice just to get our stories out there, it gives us a glow of pride to know that our words have moved someone enough to make them tell us about it. I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas. **


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